


Let the fire breathe me back to life

by VolunteerFieryDantooinian



Category: All the Wrong Questions
Genre: ATWQ, Angst, Anxiety, Bad Flirting, Cleo and Jake act like parents, Crying, Depression, Emotions, F/M, Family road trips, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Moxie is Bisexual, Moxie is basically jakes lil sis and it's really cute, Multi, Mystery, PTSD, Some Romance, The Mortmain Mountains, Vfd mentions, aka an excuse for group cuddles, because he can't seem to do it himself, everyone takes care of lemony at some point honestly, injuries, so is lemony, sort of drowning, teenage romance, vfd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 14:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6119619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VolunteerFieryDantooinian/pseuds/VolunteerFieryDantooinian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Moxie knows that she shouldn't care that he is in danger.<br/>She does anyways. After the events on the train, she's scared and untrusting of almost everyone, but she still can't manage to tear herself away from the mystery that is Lemony Snicket.</p><p>All in all, forgiveness is a long process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As a better summary, basically moxie finds out that they're flooding the forest, and they get lemony back, but then there's like a huge whole long associates adventure vfd mission thing  
> It's gonna be emotional but it's gonna be fun   
> There will be EMOTIONS OKAY

Moxie Mallahan knew something was going on the second she overheard the Mitchums having a civilized conversation. That almost never happened; the two were always bickering over something completely irrelevant.

"-And you know the risks of refusing. I think we should do it."

"Mimi, for once, I agree with you! They're a bunch of dangerous sociopaths with no control. This plan is being put in action tonight."

"Alright. But what about that Snicket kid? Isn't he still in there? If they flood the forest and he didn't get out in time.."

Moxie froze and felt herself go utterly white. Please let them be rational, caring human beings, if that was even possible, at least for once. They couldn't just let him die. First letting Stew go, and now this? 

"If he doesn't get out, that's his problem."

Oh no.

She put down the glass she was using to eavesdrop on their conversation and started running, shoes clattering on the already-scuffed, hard floor. She had to get him out of there. Even after what he had done, he had still been her best friend, and there was no way she could let him drown. 

She remembered the night on the train. It had been cool and arid outside, and she remembered a lot of crying, and everything had been dull and muted. Jake had carried her back, as she had fallen asleep after crying for about an hour straight. Lemony's actions had hurt everyone, not just Ellington, but that didn't mean he deserved to die. 

Instinctively, her feet took her to Hungry's, and she threw open the door, breathing heavily. The diner was bright, as always, with Cleo reading in the corner and Jake reading behind the counter, drumming his fingers with a steady rhythm. 

"Jake!" She gasped, and the tall redhead looked up, looking slightly miffed, and then concerned.

"Egad, Moxie, you look like you've seen a ghost! What's wrong?" He stepped out from behind the counter, and Cleo walked over as well.

"They-The Mitchums said that they're going to refill the forest, and-and they were talking about how it didn't matter that Snicket was still in there, that it was his fault!" She cried, sitting down at a booth and opening her typewriter. 

Her fingers feverishly clattered over the keys, faster than she thought was possible, noting everything the Mitchums had said. It looked wrong on the paper, it didn't feel real, and she was so scared then.  
"Moxie? Moxie!" She didn't realize she was crying until the hot tears really started pouring down her cheeks, and she felt infinitely cold.

"Sorry." Moxie snapped out of her daze, gaze sharpening.

"We have to get him out of there." Cleo muttered, going as white as a sheet.

 "I knew the Mitchums were bad, but I never thought.." Jake trailed off and shuddered. Moxie swallowed hard.

"It's happening tonight." Her voice cracked in the middle of the sentence, and she snapped her typewriter case shut. "We have to hurry."

 

With the aid of the dilemma, they were at the edge of the forest within minutes. Just the 3 of them. She could see the dam in the distance, towering and gray, like the mouth of a gigantic animal. It was getting dark already, and the tendrils of seaweed rattled in the cold wind. They were dark green and brittle, but looked almost like trees, with ghostly kelp fronds drifting to and fro. The air smelled thick and briny, like the ocean but less... Alive. 

The forest was a vast expanse, and the ground felt like it could suck you in at any time, with wet, sandy loam making disgusting sucking noises beneath their feet. "We should split up." Moxie suggested, and Jake paled. 

"I'll go with Jake, Moxie, I hate to leave you on your own, but you're right." Cleo said softly. Moxie nodded formally, and with a slight smile, headed off into the thick, humid fronds of seaweed.

The air was thick and freezing cold, and she tugged her jacket closer around her. The sand was squelching beneath her feet, and her socks had already gotten soaked through with the mud. She looked up at the gray sky, shivering, and hoped they would get to him in time. 

"Lemony?" Her voice was quiet and cracked, and she received no reply. It was very cold, and the sun was glowing slightly less brightly than it had been before. The forest seemed like a freezing abyss, a place she could very easily get lost in. Hell, maybe she already had. 

The thick mud grabbed at her shoes, and she ran a hand through her thick, curly hair. Her skin felt clammy and cold, and she stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. 

The ugly, green seaweed smelled sharp and briny, like dead fish and salt and thick summer air. She didn't like it, not one bit. Bulbous kelp fronds brushed at her face like ghostly hands, making her shudder. 

The bird skeletons were the worst part. She stepped down and heard a crunch, and assumed it was the seaweed. How wrong she was. It was a shining, bleach-white bone, more than one, actually, and that made her stomach queasy, but just a little. 

Then, she saw the recently dead ones, the rotted, starved corpses that stunk like nothing else she had ever smelled, and that made her feel even sicker, groaning and looking away, clapping one hand over her mouth. 

She had only been searching for around a half hour when she noticed the water. It was creeping up slowly, already at her ankles. Then, it started rising faster, soon reaching her calves. The water was freezing, seeping into her shoes and making her shiver. 

It felt like ghosts were reaching at her legs, desperately trying to pull her down with them into the cold, clammy mud. It felt like she was already dead, just another rotting corpse in this forest.

Soon, though, she received news, although it wasn't what she wanted.  
"Moxie? We've got him, but it's not looking good." Cleo's voice sounded shaky and somewhat close to her, and she was able to follow the sound. She almost walked straight into Jake, who was paler than usual, red hair looking unusually bright compared to his current ghostly pallor. 

"Oh no." She'd spotted Lemony within seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

Lemony was lying on the ground, almost looking like he had fallen from a great height.

His face was as stark white as the bleached bones she had observed earlier, and the blood trickling down his temple, and from the corner of his mouth, proved to be a horrible contrast, making the blood look darker and his skin even paler.

"Oh no. No, no, no." Moxie's teeth were chattering and she stumbled over her words, shaking and pale as she approached the unconscious boy and the very conscious, albeit panicky chemist.

Cleo was frantically trying to revive the teenager, swearing and shaking his shoulders gently. Moxie ran to his side and took her friend into her arms. "Please say he's breathing, please say he's breathing." She muttered, hovering her hand above his mouth and nose.

He was, but only barely. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. "What happened?" She asked Cleo, hoping the girl would know.

"We found him propped up against a huge seaweed frond, and he was almost submerged. This is bad, Moxie." She winced.

"How much water do you think he swallowed? Inhaled, maybe. I don't know. But seriously, this could get bad fast." She inquired, pressing her hand to his clammy forehead. His lips were tinged blue, which scared her.

"Too much. Here, get him on his side." Moxie followed the chemist's directions, being very careful as to keep from injuring him further - or maybe it was just out of habit. She gently took his shoulder and turned the teenager onto his side, and kept her hand on his arm.

All of a sudden, he began to cough, shivering and choking on the water as it came back up, and Moxie cursed under her breath and gently ran her fingers through his drenched, dark hair.

"Don't _ever_ scare me like that again. Do you hear me, Snicket? We thought you _died_!" Moxie's voice was still choked and shaky, and Lemony looked a bit like a kicked puppy at this statement. He took in a big breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes.

"I can't promise that." He groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position, his voice weak and hoarse.

"Can you even stand?" Moxie inquired, and, wrapping an arm around his waist, gently pulled her friend to his feet. He stumbled, but only a little, and Cleo helped to steady him. Lemony tried to push Moxie off, insisting that he was fine, but coming from someone covered in blood, soaking wet, and shivering, it almost seemed like a joke.

The drive back was not a lengthy one, and Lemony had dried off enough as to not get any blood, or water, or mud, for that matter, on Cleo's car.

"Are you sure you'll be okay for now?" The chemist inquired when they reached the lighthouse, where they agreed Lemony would stay for the time being.

"I'll be alright, Cleo, I swear." Lemony gave her a slight smile, and she smiled back.

 

By the next morning, Lemony looked considerably better, probably because he wasn't covered in mud, or anything else, and his skin wasn't nearly as pale as before. They'd managed to track down his suitcase, so that was covered.

Moxie, however, wasn't faring as well.

She tried to tell herself that she was fine, just overreacting, but she knew that wasn't true. She never had a chance to properly dry off completely, only to change clothes and quickly shower, and then dry off, but by then she was already shivering. It still felt like she was submerged in ice water, and no matter what she did she couldn't seem to get warm.

"Are you alright?" Lemony asked as she shakily stood. "You're so pale." He noted.

"I f-feel cold. And sick." She was shivering, and her teeth were chattering, and Lemony stepped forward and felt her forehead.

"You're burning up, Moxie. Why didn't you say something before now?" His eyes were a soft shade of worried, and he gently brushed his hand against her cheek. She leaned in to his touch, yearning for any sort of warmth that could be offered. He wrapped his arms around her and she nuzzled his shoulder, and he started rubbing her back, gentle, soft circles, and this usually wasn't seen as platonic behavior but she honestly didn't care. 

She laid back down, and Lemony pulled a thick, wool blanket around her, and it should really be her taking care of him, even though the worst had passed already. Her skin felt clammy and freezing, freckles standing out against the unnatural pallor. Lemony pressed his hand to her forehead again and she curled closely into him, pressing her head against his chest and tangling their legs together.

Moxie looked up at him and thought. 

His eyes were a deep shade of chocolate brown, sparkling in the light, but he looked very worried, more worried than he should. She wanted to tell him not to worry about her, that she would be okay. This was just a one-day thing, and she would probably be feeling much better by tomorrow morning. Sleep made everything better, didn't it?

Lemony's hair was a similar shade of brown, soft and thick and slightly wavy, perfect for running your hands through, or maybe braiding. He was a typical pale shade now, not one that signified illness or injury. Truth be told, he hadn't been hurt too badly in the forest. Just a slight concussion, exhaustion, many, many bruises, malnutrition, and worst of all, the dreaded hypothermia.

Hypothermia was duly awful, and she felt even worse than she thought was possible.

"I don't feel good." She stated the obvious, and curled up in Lemony's lap. He gently ran his hand through her hair, and continued to do so. He stroked her hair with deft fingers, twirling the curly strands and smiling a little bit. That felt so good, her nerves were practically singing in pleasure. 

Moxie slowly began to drift off, closing her eyes and curling up into a smaller ball.

Maybe things weren't so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was sickeningly adorable I'm sorry

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry  
> And the title is from Miss Missing You


End file.
